In 1902, after a mere 17 years (!) of construction, Hungary presented itself with what was then the largest Parliament building in the world. An architectural echo of the Houses of Parliament of London, this neo-Gothic edifice expressed the country's robust self-confidence at the turn of the century. Since WWII, when Hungary's House of Lords was abolished, members of Parliament have convened only in the southern wing of the building. (During the communist era, they convened hardly at all - only eight days a year, in fact, to rubber-stamp the laws drawn up by the Party.) Parliament is fronted by several monuments to the nation's lost struggles: the wars for independence in 1703, 1848 and again in 1956. The cars in front of Parliament mark the lost struggle for parking space in Budapest. As of Jan. 1, Parliament contains the crown jewels of Hungary - the Holy Crown and the Coronation Insignia, which were worn by Hungarian kings since the Middle Ages. At the end of WWII, these regalia were spirited out of the country and ended up in the United States, not to be returned until 1978. For the guided tours show up a few minutes early at Gate X, just right of the main stairs. The Parliament building is chained off here, but a guard or tour guide should let you in to buy a ticket. Tickets are not sold in advance, and no tours are given when ceremonial events or sessions of Parliament are taking place.